Angels, Major League Baseball are on the clock

Mike Scioscia was very pleased to see a between-innings pitch clock installed above the center-field fence in Tempe Diablo Stadium on Tuesday morning, two days before the Angels are set to open Cactus League play against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Angels manager said that though he thinks a clock mandating the time between pitches would be “a little harsh,” he’s a strong proponent of the 2-minute, 45-second between-innings clock that will be used this season in an effort to improve the pace of games.

“Absolutely,” Scioscia said. “We’re losing a lot of time to some dead time between innings. Some of it is prolonged commercial time that won’t be adjusted, but we need to get this game going a little quicker between innings.”

The 2-minute, 45-second limit will allow for some extra time outside of the 2:25 allotted for between-innings commercials on local telecasts, but Scioscia said he believes that even the 2:05 might be too much.

“Our players definitely don’t need 2 minutes and 5 seconds from the last out to get ready,” Scioscia said. “You get your eight warmup pitches, throw the ball around and you’re ready to go.”

Some relievers might have to adjust their warm-up routines, perhaps throwing more in the bullpen to get ready, he said, but it’s not as though any of the Angels relievers has a Lee Smith-like routine, with its slow walk from the bullpen to the mound.

“There’s no doubt if you hustle in from the bullpen at a decent pace, you’ll have plenty of time to complete your warmups and be ready to go,” Scioscia said. “Guys have their own routines, but they just need to have a heightened awareness about it.”